Fiddle Tunes at Centrum

Shape Note Singing: A Community Music Tradition

Recently, we asked Tim Eriksen to introduce shape note singing. He will be teaching the tradition at our upcoming Southern Mountain Traditions gathering with Riley Baugus and Dirk Powell in November (limited space still available). Here is his intro:

Soul stirring, rafter rattling "shape note music" is one of America's deepest community music traditions, and it's alive and kicking. Shape note's flagship tunebook "the Sacred Harp" has been in print in the American southland for over 160 years, longer than any book but the Bible.

In this venerable tradition early American gospel hymns meet Scots-Irish ballad melodies, old pop songs, jigs and reels, all heavily dosed with early New England folk harmony and 1800's frontier abandon.  The tradition's vibrant social singing style and unique notation system make it possible for absolutely anyone to sing, and an experience singing this music is a  must for anyone interested in American traditional and old-time music.

Want to learn more? A comprehensive resource is the www.fasola.org website, which is run by the  Sacred Harp Musical Heritage Association. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you should definitely check out the Pacific Northwest Sacred Harp Singers website. Here is a nice NPR feature on a shape note gathering, with audio.

Shape Note Singing & Old-Time Dance Tunes

A brief note from Dirk Powell on the upcoming Southern Mountain Traditions gathering in November:

In the mountains of Southern Appalachia, old-time dance music and shape-note singing were two expressions of the same worldview, one which focused on small local farms, close families, and an impassioned zeal for life.  While these styles have been separated in today's compartmentalized world, they fit together in the same way that differing emotions exist within one person. 

Come and celebrate the way in which these traditions inspire each other. Participants can study vocals with Tim or old-time banjo/fiddle with Dirk and Riley, then get together for group events that revel in the social aspect of the music.  The setting is intimate and the feeling will be like that of a mountain family reunion of years gone by. We'll all be together in one house and it will literally be like a wonderful reunion. 

We will all get together for an ancient rite called a "party." We'll do focused workshops, then we'll sing together, we'll dance together, we'll eat good food and drink good wine.

Hope you can join us! Register today.

WANTED: Percussion for Choro

Demand for our November Choro workshop has been outstanding. The workshop is now full, and we're starting a waiting list.

However, we need 3-5 percussion players to round out the instrument mix. If you "do" percussion, or know someone who does, please contact Bill Kiely ASAP at 360-385-3102 x 106.

...and if you haven't purchased your tickets to the Choro concert on November 10, call our ticket office at 360-385-3102 x 117 before they disappear!

Register for Fall Fiddle Tunes Workshop!

SOUTHERN MOUNTAIN TRADITIONS: STRING BAND TUNES, COUNTRY SONGS, AND SHAPE NOTES
November 16–18, 2007
$500 includes all meals and lodging.

The Fiddle Tunes party returns to Fort Worden State Park in a special autumn weekend workshop offering, focusing on the traditional songs of the Southern Mountains.

Led by Tim Eriksen, Riley Baugus, and Centrum’s Artistic Director for Fiddle Tunes, Dirk Powell, the workshop will culminate in a rousing public dance at Fort Worden's USO building on November 10.

The three men came together as a trio while working on the music on the film Cold Mountain. Together, they play and share raw old-time Appalachian music with a heavy emphasis on vocals. 

For Workshop Registration, visit our online registration page. The music will start at 1 pm on Friday, November 16, and go all the way to sunset on Sunday evening, November 18.

Faculty:

Riley Baugus (banjo, guitar, and fiddle) is one of the foremost traditional musicians from North Carolina, where he grew up learning instrumental and vocal traditions from mentor Tommy Jarrell and others. Baugus (pictured right) has played with numerous old-time string bands, and currently plays with the Dirk Powell Band and Polecat Creek.

Tim Eriksen (banjo, guitar, and fiddle) is a versatile musician known especially for his powerful voice and abilities as an innovator and leader within American shape-note singing traditions. He has been a solo artist and played with Cordelia’s Dad. Lately, he is most often Luka and Anja’s dad.

Dirk Powell (fiddle), the Artistic Director of Fiddle Tunes, has expanded on the deeply rooted sounds of his Appalachian heritage to become one of the pre-eminent traditional American musicians of his generation. He has recorded and performed with a number of highly acclaimed recording artists. Powell’s ability to unite the essence of his culture with modern sensibilities has also led to work with such film directors as Anthony Minghella, Spike Lee, Ang Lee, and Edward Burns.